Some of the older libraries simply insert stuff into the top-level
namespace. For example, base64.rb adds four methods to the top-level.
As a transition away from this, how about changing these modules
slightly. For example, base64 would become:
module Base64
def b64encode...
etc
module_function :b64encode, ...
end
include Base64
This doesn't break any existing code, but when we document the module
we can strongly recommend that folks use the encapsulated forms instead
of the global methods. Then, at some later date, we can remove the
include statement at stop the methods being inserted at the top level.
The reason I ask is that I just finished RDoc'ing base64... :)
Cheers
Dave